Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/52019
Walls, which, like Bertie Hall in Fort Erie, served as a haven for escaped slaves. The Uncle Tom's Cabin National Historic Site in Dresden is the former home of the Rev. Josiah Henson, the real-life fugitive slave who inspired the fictional char- acter in the Harriet Beecher Stowe novel. Adventure lovers traveling to Ontario can go hiking along the Bruce Trail and see the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The area's diverse landscape includes farms, beaches, wetlands and wildlife habitats, and there also are a number of historic inns along the trail. Pukaskwa National Park, situated on the shores of Lake Superior, offers a variety of outdoor recreation, from camping to cross-country skiing. TORONTO Ontario's capital is the fifth largest city inNorthAmerica, boasting a wide array of cultural and entertainment attractions. One of Toronto's hottest spots is the area known as The Beaches, which beckons visitors with restaurants, shops, a lakeside boardwalk and a summer jazz festival. The Distillery District offers galleries, eateries and a brewery. Attractions like the Hazelton Lanes Shopping Centre make Yorkville another favorite escape for retail therapy and entertainment. The National Ballet and Canadian Opera have their home stage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, while Massey Hall showcases jazz. Other places to see include the Toronto Botanical Gardens, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Toronto, the Petroff Gallery and the Gardiner Museum, which is known for its impressive collection of ceram- ics. Kids might especially enjoy the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Toronto Zoo in the Rouge Valley or the Ontario Science Centre. Toronto hosts more than 1,000 annual festivals and other spe- cial events. Among the celebrations are the summertime Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto and the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The Toronto Congress Centre contains more than one million sq. ft. of space, including 70 meeting rooms and Canada's largest column- free ballroom at 30,000 sq. ft. The facility has implemented a number of sustainability initiatives, such as a zero waste option for events, energy-efficient lighting, solar faucets and a recycling program. Other major meeting facilities have also gone green. The Metro Toronto Convention Center, offering more than 600,000 sq. ft. of exhibit and meeting space, offers zero-waste event, green electricity and local food sourcing options for meeting groups. The Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place counts a 30-story wind turbine, a green roof and waste reduction and recycling programs among its environmental conservation efforts. Lodging accommodations are provided by more than 38,000 hotel rooms citywide. PENNSYLVANIA Historical attractions linked to Pennsylvania'sAfrican-American heritage can be found in both small towns and big cities. Places like the Johnson House Historical Site in Philadelphia, the Kennett Underground Railroad Center in Kennett Square, the Blairsville Underground Railroad Museum in Blairsville and the Thaddeus Stevens-Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site in Lancaster highlight the state's role as a refuge for slaves seeking freedom. That story is brought to life through an Underground Railroad re-enactment called "Living the Experience," performed at Lancaster's Bethel AME Church. The pivotal CivilWar battle is commemorated at Gettysburg National Military Park, while a key turning point in the American Revolution is remembered atWashington Crossing, the spot where GeorgeWashington famously crossed the Delaware River. In the Pennsylvania Wilds region, one of the state's top sightseeing attractions has become more accessible via a new pedestrian walkway at Kinzua Bridge State Park providing views of the Kinzua Gorge. 78 Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Church on King Street –Toron Philadelphia Skyline – Pennsylvania